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Greg Ryan gregr@cs*.su*.oz*.au* wrote: >Chris wrote: Ill invest in a reel of the cord that will degrade in the water > >Can someone tell me what that line is? Typically sisal. The idea in U.S. Atlantic Coast wreck diving is that the boat anchors into the wreck. The currents are generally too strong to "twist and turn" for a hang, so in general you ascend the anchor line, and hang off that. Free ascents are a big no no - you really could be out of sight of the boat by the time you got to the surface, after a ten or twenty minute hang. If you fail to return to the anchor line, you carry a "decompression line", a big reel with about 200 feet of sisal. You run the line up with a small (e.g. 50 lb) lift bag, and then tie it off. You ascend, do your hang, and then get laughed at on the boat for not being able to find the anchor line. You then explain that this was part of your dive plan, and nobody believes you. I have only had to pop a bag when the anchor came free. (It's true!, I have witnesses.) The rationale for using sisal is that since it is biodegradable, you don't have to worry about the extra entanglements that you are causing for the next diver. Some people will actually plan to pop a bag - the ride is easier, because it doesn't get dragged up and down by the waves like an anchor line. At great depths, the extra few minutes to find the anchor line can be significant. See Gary Gentile's books "Advanced Wreck Diving Guide" and "The Ultimate Wreck Diving Guide" for more details. Safe Diving Wrolf Wrolf Courtney First Boston Corporation My opinions are not (212) 322-7017 Park Avenue Plaza my employer's. uunet!csfb1!wrolf New York, NY 10055
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